Lessons Learned (24 page)

“You’re happy,” Monica noted softly. “I didn’t expect that.”

I smiled.

“Don’t get me wrong—I’m thrilled you seem so content. You just never spoke too highly of Sycamore Falls, so I didn’t understand your desire to move back. I
completely
understood wanting to leave Memphis, but I never expected you to move back to your hometown.”

“What’s that expression? You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone?”

“Hmm.”

We talked for a while about our careers. Monica was teaching four classes this semester, and the phone call she’d received was from a professor she’d been dating since August. Her big brown eyes sparkled while she spoke of him, and I smiled warmly. I’d never seen Monica in love, and it was a joy to see.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever sat on a porch swing,” she said.

“Isn’t it amazing? It was a gift from Lucas.”

“That boy’s in love with you, Sarah.”

I sighed happily.

“I know. I love him, too.”

“Have you told him?”

“Yes.”

Monica smiled. “Good for you. I like him a lot. He’s good for you. He’s good
to
you. That’s something you’ve needed for a very long time.”

“He’s really wonderful. He’s seen me at my absolute worst, and he still loves me.”

Monica listened intently while I told her about the panic attacks that still plagued me from time to time, and how Lucas had helped me through them.

“How much have you told him about what happened in Memphis?”

“I’ve told him everything.”

She seemed surprised. “Really? And how did he take it?”

“He’s still here.” It was still a little amazing to me—he’d so willingly accept me—flaws and all.

“I saw the way he was looking at you, Sarah. I don’t think that man is going anywhere.”

The rhythmic rocking of the swing was quickly lulling me to sleep. When I caught Monica stifling a yawn, I took it as a sign it was time for bed.

“I’m taking you hiking tomorrow,” I told her as we walked back inside. I locked the door before leading her up the stairs. “You should bring your camera.”

“You know, Memphis has trees,” she teased as she opened the door to the spare bedroom.

“Not like these.”

Rolling her eyes, Monica smiled and said goodnight.

Chapter 18

“The trail is so wet,” Monica grumbled as we hiked along the path leading to Sycamore Falls. “Did you even bring a first-aid kit? From what I can recall, there isn’t a hospital for miles.”

    “Yes, I have a first-aid kit.  Besides, if you’ll shut up for a second, you’ll notice we can already hear the falls. It’s not like we’re hiking up Mount Everest.”

“Might as well be.”

“Monica, we can still see the car.”

She’d done nothing but complain since we’d left the house. Had she always been this negative?

“I’ve never understood the appeal of hiking, which is why I left my camera back at the house. Honestly, it’s just woods and trees.”

“Nature can be a beautiful thing,” I said, pointing at a maple tree. Yesterday’s rain was still glistening on the golden leaves, and I reached for the camera hanging around my neck. Adjusting the zoom, I started snapping pictures.

“Did you seriously just take a picture of a wet leaf?”

I shot her a glare. Had she always been this cranky? Monica had been my friend for nearly ten years. Surely, I would have noticed if she’d been this negative all the time. Had she really changed that much over the past few months? Or, had she always been this way, and I’d just been too blinded by my own negativity to notice?

Misery loves company, after all.

“Maybe we should just go back to the house.”

“No, I really want to see the waterfall,” she said, her voice soft and apologetic. “I’m sorry, Sarah. I’m just a city girl. If it isn’t covered in concrete, I’m not sure how to walk on it, you know?”

Laughing lightly, I linked my arm through hers.

“It’s just like with anything else. You take one step at a time and hope for the best.”

Grinning at me, she kept quiet as I led her closer to the falls. We were surrounded by the beautiful colors of fall, but I didn’t touch my camera. I’d come back later, and I’d bring a companion who would actually enjoy the scenery.

I thought of Lucas, and I smiled.

Going to sleep without him had been hard; waking up without him had been even harder. Unless we planned on living in sin, being apart was something we’d have to get used to.

Living in sin didn’t sound so bad to me.

The idea made me laugh out loud.

“What’s funny?”

“I was just envisioning the scandal if Lucas and I moved in together.”

“Oh, I can just imagine,” Monica muttered. “I remember the reaction when a black woman stood by your side at your grandmother’s funeral.”

I winced at the memory.

“No, it’s okay. I get it. This is a small conservative town with zero minorities. I was going to stick out like a sore thumb, and I understood that. No one was rude to me. People smiled politely and then tried not to stare. Most failed, but it was fine.”

I laughed, and she squeezed my arm affectionately.

“Besides, I wasn’t here for them. I was here for
you
, and I’d do it again.”

This
was the Monica I remembered.

“Now, show me a waterfall before I stumble over this mountain and plummet to my death.”

“You think
this
is a mountain? This is just a hill, Moni.”

Her eyes widened in alarm as I took her by the arm, leading her through the trees and toward the rushing sound of the falls.

“
That
is a mountain.

The falls were surrounded by the same majestic sycamores, which always hugged the water, but today, they were a mosaic of autumn colors. Splashes of green, gold, crimson, and orange flooded the ridge while the waterfalls spilled into the river below. Thanks to the heavy rains, the river was raging as it cut a path through the mountainside.

“Holy crap.”

I smiled and lifted the strap over my head.

“Would you like to borrow my camera?” I asked sweetly.

“How many trick-or-treaters does that make?” Lucas asked, looking up from his laptop. He’d been online most of the evening, claiming he was doing research for an upcoming lesson on the Civil War.

I suspected otherwise.

“Thirty-three!” Monica moaned, kicking the door closed. I’d put her in charge of handing out candy while I finished loading the dishwasher. She’d been greeting visitors for exactly ten minutes and had done nothing but gripe the entire time.

Actually, she’d done nothing but complain all week.

Thank goodness, it was her last night in Sycamore Falls.

I wasn’t sure which one of us was happier about it.

We’d spent the week doing nothing—which was fine with me—but Monica wasn’t used to so much downtime. In the city, there was plenty to keep you busy when school was out of session. In Sycamore Falls, not so much. I’d tried to keep her entertained, but Monica wasn’t a reader and television bored her to tears.

We’d had
some
fun. Monica had met Aubrey and her family, and she’d gotten to know Lucas a little better. That was the real bright spot of our time together—Monica’s absolute acceptance of him. It wasn’t necessary, but her approval was nice and made our visit a little more enjoyable.

Someone knocked, and Monica glared at the door.

Lucas chuckled. “Thirty-four.”

“You’re going to scare the kids away,” I said, snatching the candy out of her hands. Reaching into the bowl, I hastily pulled out a candy bar. “Here. Maybe chocolate will get you in the Halloween spirit.”

Reaching for the door, I smiled brightly when I saw two giant zombies standing on my porch.

“You know, I think there might be an age limit on this trick-or-treating thing.”

“Nope, we asked the sheriff,” Howie said.

Matt was by his side, grinning brightly. “He made us promise to behave ourselves.”

“Well, you guys look great.”

Deciding this would be the perfect way to end my Halloween, I poured what was left of the candy into each of their bags. Hopefully, the sugar rush would subside by Monday morning when they were back in my class.

“Thirty-five,” I announced after closing the door and turning off the porch light. “That was Howie and Matt.”

Monica’s eyes never left her phone. “They had pretty deep voices for kids.”

“They’re seniors,” Lucas explained.

Closing his laptop, he smiled up at me as I placed the empty bowl on the table. I climbed into his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“You’ve been spending an awful lot of time on the Internet lately. I bet you’re on some dating website, looking for the perfect woman.”

Monica snorted.

“No need,” Lucas said sweetly. “I’ve already found her.”

I hummed and nuzzled his neck.

“Very smooth,” Monica muttered. “I was just looking at the online edition of the
Sycamore Falls Tribune
. Does your newspaper really only come out once a week?”

Lucas laughed. “We don’t have too many scandals.”

“Well, you seem to have at least
one
.” Monica scrolled through her phone. “Did you actually have a student dismissed from the football team because he’s gay?”

I froze.

Lucas hurriedly reached for his laptop and began to type. “Where did you see that?”

“Sports section—in the comments.”

My eyes quickly scanned the computer screen. With over fifty replies, the comment wasn’t hard to spot.

Rumor has it our former star QB was tossed off the team because he couldn’t keep his hands to himself in the locker room.

The comment was signed with a generic username.

“If that’s true, I know a kickass attorney who’d love to get his hands on that case,” Monica said.

This can’t be happening.

“Patrick?” Lucas asked softly.

“I don’t know.”

“Who’s Patrick?” Monica’s voice was a full octave higher. It was the most excited I’d seen her all week. “Is he the boyfriend?”

“He is definitely
not
the boyfriend.”

Lucas held me a little tighter and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.

“I’ll tell her,” he offered softly, and I nodded.

With trembling fingers, I scrolled through the comments—some in support of Matt and some staunchly against—while Lucas explained the entire situation to Monica. I felt a little guilty for divulging Matt’s story, but Monica lived eight hours away. Who was she going to tell?

“And he confessed this to you?” Monica asked.

“To Sarah.”

I could feel her eyes on me as I tried to focus on the screen. Tears blurred my vision, making it impossible. I finally lifted my head, and her brown eyes were anxious and full of worry.

“What is it about you that makes tortured young men bare their souls?”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“Not yet.”

“Watch it, Monica.” Lucas’s voice was dark and threatening as his arms tightened around me.

Monica’s head swiveled in his direction.

“Don’t tell me to watch it. You have no idea what she went through!”

“I have some idea.”

“Really?” Monica cocked her head to the side. “Do you know how she cried for weeks after Josh was killed? Do you know her panic attacks were so severe that monster doses of anti-anxiety meds did nothing to calm her down? She didn’t eat. She certainly didn’t sleep. She finally ate a Twinkie after I threatened to hospitalize her.”

To this day, the scent of a Twinkie made me vomit.

“That’s enough,” Lucas told her, his voice surprisingly gentle when compared to the venom in his tone. Tears were trickling down my face as he held me close.

“Do you know what an asshole her ex-boyfriend was and how he ‘just couldn’t deal’ with her emotional outbursts?” Monica’s voice was a little softer now. “Ryan—the man who supposedly loved her? Who’d told her he wanted to marry her?”

“I’m not Ryan.”

“You’d better not be.”

“Stop it, Monica.” My voice was loud and strong, despite my tears.